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Spotcheck
Newsletter of the Illinois
Campaign for Political Reform December 30,
2003
In This Issue
*Year-End Wrap Up
December has been a hectic month at ICPR. In the last 30 days:
- Noting that the citizens of Illinois have a fundamental right to honest
government, U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald announced a 22-count indictment
of former Gov. George Ryan. ICPR hopes that the cumulative effect of Operation
Safe Road, with its 66 indictments and 59 convictions to date, will be to
inspire elected officials to improve Illinois' political culture and to reassure
Illinois citizens that state government is their government. For more information,
click here.
- After a multi-year effort, ICPR was proud to see ethics reforms move to
the top of the state agenda when Gov. Blagojevich signed into law the most
sweeping ethics reform measure in a generation. For more information, click
here.
- ICPR supporters suffered a terrible loss on December 9 when ICPR founder
and chair Paul Simon passed away. He will be greatly missed. For more information,
click here.
- ICPR cheered the U.S. Supreme Court ruling upholding the federal McCain-Feingold
campaign finance law. This major victory in the ongoing battle between constituents
and contributors for the hearts and minds of elected officials also bodes
well for parts of Illinois' recent ethics package. For more information, click
here.
Our website, ilcampaign.org, offers a wealth of information and analysis of campaign
finance data. In the coming weeks, we will be adding data on all who filed to
run in 2004 for the legislature and the appellate and supreme court.
As the year closes, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to support
ICPR, one of Illinois' most effective watchdogs and energetic advocates. We have
had a momentous year and made great strides in the fight for reform. But there
remains much to be done and we need your help. Your tax-deductible contribution
to ICPR will allow us to continue our fight to give Illinois residents a stronger
voice in the political process. Click
here for information on giving to ICPR.
The staff and Board of ICPR wish you and yours a very safe and happy New
Year.
| ICPR
is the proud sponsor of a discussion group on Yahoo. The group gives concerned
people around Illinois an opportunity to voice opinions and discuss ways
of improving Illinois' political culture. Click
here to sign up! |
ICPR Spotcheck is a publication
of The Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, a non-partisan public interest
group that educates, conducts research, and advocates reforms to promote public
participation in government, address the role of money in politics, and encourage
integrity, accountability, and transparency in government. To add or remove a
name from this list, please e-mail
nelly@ilcampaign.org